The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-27
ALIVE AT Her BURIAL.

From boy, it was my steadfast ambi-
lion to be physician; and the desire grew
with my growth, and increased from the
opposition with which ii met at the hands
of my friends and relations. Early in life,
as have said, the profession seemed to
me desirable above any other; not so much
from the realization of its great usefulness
as from sense of the power which its vo-
taries obtain over their ellow-creatures.
And sometimes, even while a mere child,
precocious as / was, i'll reading the tales OF
enchantment which are often set before the
young, instead of n feeling of awe and
amazement, L actually entertained one Of
contempt.
"Maglcians and genii, forsooth, was my
thought. whose business was only to in
woke idle spirits 1 can and will be
mightier magician than these!"
But, lest / should grow too aggressive in
these multiplying "reminiscences, let me
hasten to my narrative. Barely three years
had elapsed from the first day of my seclu-
sion in my study, when l again emerged
into the world, prepared to fulfill those
dreams which haunted my pillow, dreams,
not of wealth or love, but of power, of
mastery.
was well known in the community in
which l now took up my residence, and
many affected TO scott and sheer at my pre-
tensions. At SUCH however, L could we'll
afford to smile. My appearance, it is true,
was boyish and unprepossessing in the ex-
IRENE. / was barely twenty-five, and the
pale cheek and restlessness of the eye, con-
tacted by incessant application to books,
which, at this time, characterized me, were
not we'll calculated to win either confidence
or faith. But as for myself, / knew that
there was that within me which, sooner or
later, would cause my name TO be upon
every tongue, and elevate me to the position
which l we'll knew my genius merited.
And / was right. Commencing among
the lower classes of the great city-for
among these l was at first compelled to
operate and practice-a rumor of the Won
derful skill and knowledge which the boy
physician, as they were pleased to name
me. was continually displaying, spread to
the upper circles of its tastidious society
And more, / suspect, 10 demonstrate the
falsity of the rumors, and to crush out a
new aspirant and future rival, than be-
cause OF any better motive, / was one day
summoned to the city hospital TO examine
q difficult case that had arisen there. L in
stantly obeyed the summons, for it was an
opportunity not to be neglected; and they
conducted me to one of the wards, where
all the professors of medicine were as
sembled from all parts of the city, and
among them many whose renown had been
acquired by lifetime of laborious toll and
study. One of these latter took me
patronizingly by the hand and led me to
the couch where poor sufferer lay writh-
ing in the last commissions of dissolution
caused by the effects of a most virulent
vegetable poison. An involuntary and con-
temptuous smile went round the room as
he did so.
Here, my young FRIEND" he observed,
II -
fluence, but your extraordinary medical
knowledge may perhaps benefit him. Pro-
coed; you certainly cannot injure him."
My blood tingled beneath this insult
which could not even respect the presence
of death, but my time for triumph had now
arrived. Assuming a GOODNESS which con-
founded my professional brethren, looked
at my watch and observed:
Gentlemen, in three minutes this
rman will have breathed his last, suppos-
ing, you will understand, that he remains
under your treatment But am here; you
have done well to call me, and if you will
repress your prejudices and give me your
strict attention, / will show you a mode of
procedure which you cannot learn from
books"
IL
Half an hour quickly elapsed, and at its
expiration l stepped back from the bed
side, triumphant in my victory, in secret
externally as cool and impassive as before.
Life, quivering in the balance, and flicker
ing to extinction, had been restored beneath
my hands; the feeble, futtering pulse was
.quickened, the sluggish current of vitality
leaped into aroused action, and falling upon
his knees at my feet, the patient deliberate
ly kissed my hands, and hailed me as his
benefactor.
Amazed and bewildered beyond descrip-
ton, as they beheld my unheardof treat
ment and its marvellous results, the faculty
and all present remained dumb for mo-
ment, and then, as their consciousness of
my merits and superiority shamed them into
generosity, the whole ward rang with their
enthusiastic plaudits, and, gathering around
me, they confessed themselves vanquished.
and strove with each other for the honor Of
taking me by the hand. Inwardly, gloried
In this first public recognition of my
genius; but, REFRESHING all outward mani
festations of the feeling. / treated them
with cool suavity which nonplused and
COMPOUNDED them. Nor was the feeling
unmixed with one of triumph. They the
sages and veterans of the profession, for
sooth! had without difficulty proved them
the tyros.
My name and fame were now established;
the walls Of the hospital were not strong
enough to shut from the world the wonder
full story of the scene they had witnessed.
NV name was mentioned with curiosity,
with appreciation. and with fearful blessing;
men pointed me out to each other, as 1
walked the streets, as the wonderful youth,
whose precocious genius was undoubtedly
too expansive for his body. And, anxious
that it might not be thought that my won
.derful successes hitherto had been the re-
suit of more accident, / labored day
and night in the manifold duties of my
profession, bringing every faculty Of mind
to bear upon each particular case, so that
ere month had elapsed since my achieve
,ment at the hospital, the whole city was
ringing with my praises. The doors of
mansions of wealth and luxury, which would
have been barred against me as humble
individual, were eagerly opened to me as a
physician, and soon all acknowledged my
capacity.
hardly gave myself time to rest or sleep;
my life at this period was one long contest
18th death, in which was invariably the